2017 Gun Trace Report

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

2017 Gun Trace Report GUN TRACE REPORT 2017 CITY OF CHICAGO • OFFICE OF THE MAYOR CHICAGO POLICE DEPARTMENT GUN TRACE REPORT 2017 INTRODUCTION compiled firearm trace data from 2009 to 2013.3 This report analyzes available firearm trace data over four Since 2013, the Chicago Police Department has recovered years, from 2013 to 2016, spanning almost 15,000 firearms nearly 7,000 “crime guns” each year. For the purposes traced back to more than 5,000 federally licensed dealers. of this report, a crime gun refers to a firearm recovered Using this data, law enforcement and policymakers have by CPD that was illegally possessed, used, or suspected identified the regular sources of crime guns trafficked into to be used in furtherance of a crime.1 The overwhelming Chicago with pinpoint accuracy. More importantly, they majority of these firearms were originally purchased are now better equipped to develop policies that will help outside of the city limits and brought into Chicago. So far prevent these guns from getting into the hands of high- in 2017, CPD is already on pace to exceed last year’s gun risk individuals. recoveries. It is self-evident that the availability of illegally circulated firearms in Chicago is directly connected to its Chicago is in many ways a microcosm of a national deadly street violence. Simply put, each conflict becomes epidemic. The United States’ gun homicide rate is nearly potentially more lethal due to easy access to a gun.2 In 20 times higher than any other industrialized nation.4 an unfortunate but persistent reality, certain retailers Not surprisingly, its rate of gun ownership per capita and jurisdictions disproportionately account for the guns far exceeds that of these nations as well.5 The Graduate trafficked into Chicago that sustain its illegal gun market Institute of International and Developmental Studies in and associated violent crime. Geneva estimates nearly half of all guns in circulation worldwide are in the United States, although it makes There is no greater priority for the City of Chicago than the up just over four percent of the global population.6 safety and security of its residents. The City of Chicago As the trace data and illegal firearm recovery numbers and Chicago Police Department have partnered with the demonstrate, Chicago faces a unique predicament in University of Chicago Crime Lab to examine available enforcement efforts against illegal gun trafficking. Illinois firearm trace data and identify the source of each crime is surrounded by states that lack comprehensive firearms gun recovered in order to develop more impactful regulations, with particularly little oversight of secondary solutions that address the root causes of gun violence. sales markets.7 This is the second such report. In its 2014 report, CPD GUN TRACE REPORT 1 In September of 2016, in the midst of an unacceptable spike in gun violence, Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced his comprehensive public safety strategy, with five main pillars8: 1. Strengthening law enforcement resources, including hiring 970 new officers, and providing training and technology to support CPD’s crime fight; 2. Investments in violence prevention, including evidence-based mentoring, academic support programs, and restorative justice principles in CPS schools; 3. Legislation to address gun violence, including increased criminal penalties for high-risk gun offenders, and licensure requirements for necessary oversight over Illinois gun dealers; 4. Economic development and employment opportunities to treat the root causes of violence, including an expansion of job programming and support services, financial incentives in economically stagnant neighborhoods, and investment opportunities to attract jobs; 5. Building community trust and legitimacy between CPD and the communities that they serve, including sweeping police reform measures, accountability, transparency, and de-escalation training, as well as a new culture of community policing within the Department All five pillars of the strategy are essential to address purchases of firearms from dealers to recovery by the gun violence in Chicago. The Mayor and Superintendent Chicago Police Department. Unfortunately, a significant continue to work with community leaders, advocates, portion of guns bought at dealers surrounding Chicago researchers, and law enforcement partners to align are being recovered shortly afterwards. The report also resources and policies with the City’s comprehensive looks at the states outside of Illinois that are contributing plan. But it is long past time for urgent action on to crime guns recovered in Chicago. Not surprisingly, it is firearm policies that will have a meaningful impact on the very states with the least restrictive gun laws that are the illegal gun market. Chicago cannot stem the influx the sources of the guns coming into Chicago and being of firearms across its borders alone, particularly given used to commit crimes. recent limitations on its ability to regulate firearms under local ordinance.9 Policymakers, law enforcement, and Finally, recommended solutions are identified to address community stakeholders must work together to build the clear problem of guns coming into Chicago from other a comprehensive system that keeps firearms out of the communities and states. It will require effort at regional, hands of individuals who are at high-risk for violence. The state and federal levels, beginning with gun dealer Illinois legislature is now considering multiple effective licensing legislation in the state legislature; but there is proposals, including a pending gun dealer licensing no doubt that fewer guns in the illegal trafficking market framework that is due for a vote in the coming weeks.10 In will save lives. order to be effective, data transparency and enforcement efforts must be regional, and the call for national solutions must persist. The purpose of this report is to promote informed and intelligent discussion around long-term solutions to the ongoing tragedy that is gun violence in America. This report examines the licensed firearms dealers that are the source for crime guns recovered in Chicago. It further analyzes the amount of time between the original 2 CITY OF CHICAGO 2017 CHICAGO’S ILLEGAL GUN MARKET Crime gun recovery totals in Chicago continue to outnumber its major metropolitan counterparts: From 2013 to 2016, without adjusting for population density, Chicago’s total firearm recoveries outnumbered Los Angeles and New York City each year. For the last four years, CPD’s firearm recovery rate has not wavered, with police in Chicago seizing just below 7,000 illegal guns per year. Firearms Recovered, 2013-2016 7,000 6,000 5,000 4,000 3,000 2,000 1,000 0 2013 2014 2015 2016 Chicago Los Angeles New York Note: Excludes weapons obtained through turn-in and buy-back programs. In 2016, when adjusted for population, Chicago recovered 6 times as many guns per capita as New York and 1.5 times as many guns per capita as Los Angeles. n Firearms Recovered per 100,000 Residents, 2013-2016 250 200 150 100 50 0 2013 2014 2015 2016 Chicago Los Angeles New York Note: Excludes weapons obtained through turn-in and buy-back programs. GUN TRACE REPORT 3 SOURCE DEALERS FOR CRIME GUNS RECOVERED IN CHICAGO Analyzing available gun traces between 2013 and 2016, federally licensed Illinois dealers primarily located in suburban Cook County were the original point of purchase for approximately two out of every five crime guns recovered in Chicago: This proportion is nearly identical to what was observed in previous trace data from 2009-2013.11 Despite passing a model gun dealer ordinance in 2014, Chicago still has not licensed a retailer to sell firearms within city limits. Federally licensed firearms dealers (“FFL”) in suburban Cook County and Illinois collar counties, as well as several located just across the state border in Indiana, are the primary source of illegal guns seized in Chicago. Source Dealers of Recovered Firearms Located near Chicago Top 10 Source Dealers 1. Chuck's Gun Shop (Riverdale, IL) 2. Midwest Sporting Goods (Lyons, IL) 3. Westforth Sports (Gary, IN) 4. Cabela's (Hammond, IN) 5. Shore Galleries (Lincolnwood, IL) 6. GAT Guns (East Dundee, IL) 7. Suburban Sporting Goods (Melrose Park, IL) 8. Pelchers Shooter Supply (Lansing, IL) 9. Blythe's Sport Shop (Griffith, IN) 10. Sporting Arms & Supply (Posen, IL) Note: Map shows source dealers that sold guns purchased from 2007 through 2016 that were recovered by CPD from 2013 through 2016 and were successfully traced. Seven of the top ten source dealers are within Illinois, and six of those seven fall within the Cook County suburbs that border Chicago. The remaining FFL source dealers within the top ten are located in northwest Indiana. Collectively, these ten source dealers make up almost a quarter of the crime guns recovered in Chicago, despite the existence of many other federally licensed dealers in Chicago’s vicinity. For the better part of a decade, Chuck’s Gun Shop and Midwest Sporting Goods have consistently remained the top two FFL source dealers for crime guns recovered by police in Chicago. Chuck’s Gun Shop and Midwest Sporting Goods continue to provide a strikingly large portion of the total number of traceable crime guns that includes more than 5,000 separate FFL dealers from all 50 states. These two dealers are the retail source of more than one in ten crime guns recovered in Chicago. 4 CITY OF CHICAGO 2017 Top 10 Source Dealers of Recovered Firearms, 2013-2016 0% 1% 2% 3% 4% 5% 6% 7% Chuck's Gun Shop (Riverdale, IL) 6.7% Midwest Sporting Goods (Lyons, IL) 4.5% Westforth Sports (Gary, IN) 2.3% Cabela's (Hammond, IN) 1.7% Shore Galleries (Lincolnwood, IL) 1.6% GAT Guns (East Dundee, IL) 1.5% Suburban Sporting Goods (Melrose Park, IL) 1.4% Pelchers Shooter Supply (Lansing, IL) 1.3% Blythe's Sport Shop (Griffith, IN) 0.9% Sporting Arms & Supply (Posen, IL) 0.9% Westforth Sports in Gary, Indiana remains the third largest FFL supplier of crime guns into Chicago from 2013-2016.
Recommended publications
  • Understanding the Value of Arts & Culture | the AHRC Cultural Value
    Understanding the value of arts & culture The AHRC Cultural Value Project Geoffrey Crossick & Patrycja Kaszynska 2 Understanding the value of arts & culture The AHRC Cultural Value Project Geoffrey Crossick & Patrycja Kaszynska THE AHRC CULTURAL VALUE PROJECT CONTENTS Foreword 3 4. The engaged citizen: civic agency 58 & civic engagement Executive summary 6 Preconditions for political engagement 59 Civic space and civic engagement: three case studies 61 Part 1 Introduction Creative challenge: cultural industries, digging 63 and climate change 1. Rethinking the terms of the cultural 12 Culture, conflict and post-conflict: 66 value debate a double-edged sword? The Cultural Value Project 12 Culture and art: a brief intellectual history 14 5. Communities, Regeneration and Space 71 Cultural policy and the many lives of cultural value 16 Place, identity and public art 71 Beyond dichotomies: the view from 19 Urban regeneration 74 Cultural Value Project awards Creative places, creative quarters 77 Prioritising experience and methodological diversity 21 Community arts 81 Coda: arts, culture and rural communities 83 2. Cross-cutting themes 25 Modes of cultural engagement 25 6. Economy: impact, innovation and ecology 86 Arts and culture in an unequal society 29 The economic benefits of what? 87 Digital transformations 34 Ways of counting 89 Wellbeing and capabilities 37 Agglomeration and attractiveness 91 The innovation economy 92 Part 2 Components of Cultural Value Ecologies of culture 95 3. The reflective individual 42 7. Health, ageing and wellbeing 100 Cultural engagement and the self 43 Therapeutic, clinical and environmental 101 Case study: arts, culture and the criminal 47 interventions justice system Community-based arts and health 104 Cultural engagement and the other 49 Longer-term health benefits and subjective 106 Case study: professional and informal carers 51 wellbeing Culture and international influence 54 Ageing and dementia 108 Two cultures? 110 8.
    [Show full text]
  • Estimating the Causal Effect of Gangs in Chicago†
    Competition in the Black Market: Estimating the Causal Effect of Gangs in Chicago† Bravo Working Paper # 2021-004 Jesse Bruhn † Abstract: I study criminal street gangs using new data that describes the geospatial distribution of gang territory in Chicago and its evolution over a 15-year period. Using an event study design, I show that city blocks entered by gangs experience sharp increases in the number of reported batteries (6%), narcotics violations (18.5%), weapons violations (9.8%), incidents of prostitution (51.9%), and criminal trespassing (19.6%). I also find a sharp reduction in the number of reported robberies (-8%). The findings cannot be explained by pre-existing trends in crime, changes in police surveillance, crime displacement, exposure to public housing demolitions, reporting effects, or demographic trends. Taken together, the evidence suggests that gangs cause small increases in violence in highly localized areas as a result of conflict over illegal markets. I also find evidence that gangs cause reductions in median property values (-$8,436.9) and household income (-$1,866.8). Motivated by these findings, I explore the relationship between the industrial organization of the black market and the supply of criminal activity. I find that gangs that are more internally fractured or operate in more competitive environments tend to generate more crime. This finding is inconsistent with simple, market-based models of criminal behavior, suggesting an important role for behavioral factors and social interactions in the production of gang violence. Keywords: Competition, Crime, Gangs, Neighborhoods, Urban, Violence JEL classification: J46, K24, O17, R23, Z13 __________________________________ † Previously circulated under the title "The Geography of Gang Violence.” * Economics Department, Brown University.
    [Show full text]
  • The Toll of Gun Violence in America a Nation Of
    A NATION OF SURVIVORS THE TOLL OF GUN VIOLENCE IN AMERICA EVERYTOWN FOR GUN SAFETY WOULD LIKE TO ACKNOWLEDGE ALL GUN VIOLENCE SURVIVORS, ESPECIALLY THOSE WHO SHARED THEIR PERSONAL STORIES FOR THIS REPORT. Cover photo by Jodi Miller March for Our Lives Columbus, OH, March 24, 2018 everytownresearch.org/nationofsurvivors 1 “THE FACT IS GUN VIOLENCE HAS TAKEN SO MANY LIVES. AND NOT JUST IN FLORIDA OR D.C. OR CHICAGO. GUN VIOLENCE IS EVERYWHERE AND, AS A NATION, WE NEED TO BE PAYING MORE ATTENTION TO THE PROBLEM.” ZION, GUN VIOLENCE PREVENTION ADVOCATE TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 4 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 5 GUN SUICIDES 6 GUN HOMICIDES 8 GUN INJURIES 10 GUN VIOLENCE AND CHILDREN AND TEENS 12 DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND GUNS 14 HATE CRIMES WITH GUNS 16 CONCLUSION: IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE THIS WAY 18 everytownresearch.org/nationofsurvivors 3 INTRODUCTION America’s gun death rate is tragic and unique — 10 times higher than other high-income countries.1 In other words, by early February more Americans are killed with guns than are killed in our peer countries in an entire calendar year. Every year, over 36,000 Americans are killed in acts % of gun violence3 and approximately 100,000 more are shot and injured.4 With death and injury tolls this high, America is undeniably a nation of gun violence survivors. But the impact of gun violence 58 extends far beyond those killed or injured. OF AMERICAN ADULTS Gun violence in any form — whether a person witnessed an act of gun violence, was threatened OR SOMEONE THEY or wounded with a gun, or had someone they know or care for wounded or killed — can leave a lasting CARE FOR HAVE impact on individuals.
    [Show full text]
  • The Discriminatory History of Gun Control David Babat University of Rhode Island
    University of Rhode Island DigitalCommons@URI Senior Honors Projects Honors Program at the University of Rhode Island 2009 The Discriminatory History of Gun Control David Babat University of Rhode Island Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.uri.edu/srhonorsprog Part of the Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons Recommended Citation Babat, David, "The Discriminatory History of Gun Control" (2009). Senior Honors Projects. Paper 140. http://digitalcommons.uri.edu/srhonorsprog/140http://digitalcommons.uri.edu/srhonorsprog/140 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Honors Program at the University of Rhode Island at DigitalCommons@URI. It has been accepted for inclusion in Senior Honors Projects by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@URI. For more information, please contact [email protected]. David Babat [email protected] The Discriminatory History of Gun Control Introduction Gun control in the United States is based on a long history of discrimination which continues to this day. While blacks were the first targets of gun control measures, different racial and ethnic minorities have been targeted over time, and today the poor now face economic discrimination in many gun control laws. Gun control may be portrayed as a measure to reduce crime,1 but even in its earliest forms firearms regulation has been used as a means to control specific societal groups by keeping them from possessing weapons. The first selectively restrictive gun control legislation was enacted in the pre-Revolution South and primarily aimed at keeping free blacks from owning firearms and maintaining a white monopoly on power. Many different forms of gun control laws were implemented before and after the Revolution to keep firearms out of African-American hands.
    [Show full text]
  • Gun Violence in Colombia a City in Colombia Tries to Address the Root Causes of Gun Violence
    News Gun violence in Colombia A city in Colombia tries to address the root causes of gun violence. Sophie Cousins reports. Fabián Parra was 11 years old when he A collaboration between the met- Since 2015 there has been an 80% joined a street gang. That was in 2011. ropolitan police and Universidad del decline in homicides in the eight Co- The gang dealt drugs and sometimes had Valle’s Instituto de Investigación y De- munas targeted, murders dropping to defend its territory with guns. The sarrollo en Prevención de la Violencia from 396 in 2015 to 81 in 2018. “I’ve territory was a small part of Comuna y Promoción de la Convivencia Social been involved in this type of work for a 18, a neighbourhood in Cali, Colombia, (Cisalva, Institute for Research and long time and I have never seen such a a city of 2.3 million people. Development in Violence Prevention reduction in homicides,” Gutiérrez adds. “When I was 16, a kid from another and Promotion of Social Coexistence), gang tried to shoot me,” Fabián says. “I the TIP programme has been providing fired back and hit him in the foot. After- comprehensive psychosocial support for It is imperative wards his friends came looking for me. around 1400 youths from eight of Cali’s that we directly They were going to kill me, so I had to most violent neighbourhoods, including “ leave the neighbourhood.” Comuna 18, since 2015. engage the young The year Fabián left Comuna 18, “Youths come into the programme people involved in it was already becoming a safer place.
    [Show full text]
  • CRIME and VIOLENCE in CHICAGO a Geography of Segregation and Structural Disadvantage
    CRIME AND VIOLENCE IN CHICAGO a Geography of Segregation and Structural Disadvantage Tim van den Bergh - Master Thesis Human Geography Radboud University, 2018 i Crime and Violence in Chicago: a Geography of Segregation and Structural Disadvantage Tim van den Bergh Student number: 4554817 Radboud University Nijmegen Master Thesis Human Geography Master Specialization: ‘Conflicts, Territories and Identities’ Supervisor: dr. O.T Kramsch Nijmegen, 2018 ii ABSTRACT Tim van den Bergh: Crime and Violence in Chicago: a Geography of Segregation and Structural Disadvantage Engaged with the socio-historical making of space, this thesis frames the contentious debate on violence in Chicago by illustrating how a set of urban processes have interacted to maintain a geography of racialized structural disadvantage. Within this geography, both favorable and unfavorable social conditions are unequally dispersed throughout the city, thereby impacting neighborhoods and communities differently. The theoretical underpinning of space as a social construct provides agency to particular institutions that are responsible for the ‘making’ of urban space in Chicago. With the use of a qualitative research approach, this thesis emphasizes the voices of people who can speak about the etiology of crime and violence from personal experience. Furthermore, this thesis provides a critique of social disorganization and broken windows theory, proposing that these popular criminologies have advanced a problematic normative production of space and impeded effective crime policy and community-police relations. Key words: space, disadvantage, race, crime & violence, Chicago (Under the direction of dr. Olivier Kramsch) iii Table of Contents Chapter 1 - Introduction ..................................................................................................... 1 § 1.1 Studying crime and violence in Chicago .................................................................... 1 § 1.2 Research objective ...................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • A Comparison of Responses to Political Mass Shootings in the United States and Norway
    Old Dominion University ODU Digital Commons Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations Sociology & Criminal Justice Summer 2016 What Can State Talk Tell Us About Punitiveness? A Comparison of Responses to Political Mass Shootings in The United States and Norway Kimberlee G. Waggoner Old Dominion University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/sociology_criminaljustice_etds Part of the Criminology Commons, Scandinavian Studies Commons, and the Social Control, Law, Crime, and Deviance Commons Recommended Citation Waggoner, Kimberlee G.. "What Can State Talk Tell Us About Punitiveness? A Comparison of Responses to Political Mass Shootings in The United States and Norway" (2016). Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Dissertation, Sociology & Criminal Justice, Old Dominion University, DOI: 10.25777/6e42-3262 https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/sociology_criminaljustice_etds/10 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Sociology & Criminal Justice at ODU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ODU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. WHAT CAN STATE TALK TELL US ABOUT PUNITIVENESS? A COMPARISON OF RESPONSES TO POLITICAL MASS SHOOTINGS IN THE UNITED STATES AND NORWAY by Kimberlee G. Waggoner B.S. May 2009, Northern Arizona University M.S. May 2011, Northern Arizona University A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of Old Dominion University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY CRIMINOLOGY AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE OLD DOMINION UNIVERSITY August 2016 Approved by: Randolph Myers (Director) Mona J.E. Danner (Member) Tim Goddard (Member) ABSTRACT WHAT CAN STATE TALK TELL US ABOUT PUNITIVENESS? A COMPARISON OF RESPONSES TO POLITICAL MASS SHOOTINGS IN THE UNITED STATES AND NORWAY Kimberlee G.
    [Show full text]
  • Global Study on Homicide 2011
    GLOBAL STUDY ON HOMICIDE 2011 TRENDS / CONTEXTS DATA UNITED NATIONS OFFICE ON DRUGS AND CRIME Vienna 2011 GLOBAL STUDY ON HOMICIDE TRENDS, CONTEXTS, DATA Copyright 2011 © United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Acknowledgements The 2011 Global Study on Homicide was prepared by the Statistics and Surveys Section under the supervision of Sandeep Chawla, Director, Division for Policy Analysis and Public Affairs. Core team Research coordination and study preparation Angela Me, Enrico Bisogno, Steven Malby Research, data analysis and data processing Michael Jandl, Philip Davis, Catherine Pysden, Umidjon Rahmonberdiev, Felix Reiterer, Elizabeth Gurian, Cristina Mesa Vieira, Alberto Aziani and Mariaelena Cenci Editing Jonathan Gibbons Graphic design, layout and mapping support Suzanne Kunnen and Kristina Kuttnig (Studies and Threat Analysis Section) The study benefited from the valuable input of many UNODC staff members (at headquarters and in regional and country offices) as well as from the dedica- tion of the many national experts who have provided UNODC with crime and criminal justice data over the years. The World Health Organization kindly provided the public health data pre- sented in the study. The Organization of American States supported UNODC in the collection of data in the Americas. Many experts in research institutes and international organizations commented on early drafts and provided extremely valuable input. The study was also made possible thanks to the financial contribution of the Small Arms Survey. DISCLAIMERS This study has not been formally edited. The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this publica- tion do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNODC or the Secretariat of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimi- tation of its frontiers or boundaries.
    [Show full text]
  • Gun-Carrying Restrictions and Gun-Related Mortality, Colombia
    Research Gun-carrying restrictions and gun-related mortality, Colombia: a difference-in-difference design with fixed effects Andres I Vecino-Ortiza & Deivis N Guzman-Tordecillab Objective To assess the effect of a permanent gun-carrying restriction on gun-related mortality in Colombia between 2008 and 2014, and determine differences in the effect of the restriction by place of death and sex. Methods In 2012, Bogotá and Medellín introduced a permanent gun-carrying restriction. We compared gun-related mortality rates in these cities (intervention cities) with the rates in all other Colombian cities with more than 500 000 inhabitants (control cities). We used data from the Colombian National Department of Statistics to calculate monthly gun-related mortality rates between 2008 and 2014 for intervention and control cities. We used a differences-in-differences method with fixed effects to assess differences in gun-related mortality in intervention and control cities before and after the introduction of the gun-carrying restriction. We stratified effects by place of death (public area or residence) and sex. We made robustness checks to test the assumptions of the models. Findings Gun-related deaths in the control and intervention cities decreased between 2008 and 2014; however, the decrease was greater in the intervention cities (from 20.29 to 14.93 per 100 000 population; 26.4%) than in the control cities (from 37.88 to 34.56 per 100 000 population; 8.8%). The restriction led to a 22.3% reduction in the monthly gun-related mortality rate in Bogotá and Medellín. The reduction was greater in public areas and for males.
    [Show full text]
  • 2019 STAAR Grade 6 Reading Rationales Item# Rationale
    2019 STAAR Grade 6 Reading Rationales Item# Rationale 1 Option C is correct A simile is a figure of speech in which two objects are compared using the word “like” or “as.” In line 14, the author contrasts Zach’s normal behavior—“as active as a fly in a doughnut shop”—with his current behavior—“on his stomach sleeping quietly.” The simile is included to help the reader understand how much energy Zach typically has. Option A is incorrect Although the author does contrast Zach sleeping with his normal, active behavior, this is not meant to suggest that Zach has trouble falling asleep. Option B is incorrect The author compares Zach to “a fly in a doughnut shop” to emphasize how much energy Zach typically has; Zach did not actually eat any doughnuts. Option D is incorrect In paragraph 14, the author describes Michelle waking up “earlier than usual” and then taking a picture of her younger brother, so there is no evidence that Zach is sleeping late. 2 Option F is correct The theme of the story is that recognizing an unexpected opportunity can have surprising results. Throughout the story, Michelle is trying to capture the perfect picture of a sunset for the photo contest she has entered. However, she unexpectedly loves the photograph she takes of her sleeping brother and ends up submitting it for the contest. Option G is incorrect Michelle clearly enjoys taking photographs, but she is also interested in winning the photography contest, so this is not the story’s theme. Option H is incorrect Michelle is kind and patient toward her younger brother Zach, but the siblings’ relationship is not a central focus of the story and not significant to the theme.
    [Show full text]
  • Thoughts, Prayers, Action As Christians, We Recognize That Combating Gun Violence with Thoughts and Prayers Is Not Ineffective, but It Is Incomplete
    Thoughts, Prayers, Action As Christians, we recognize that combating gun violence with thoughts and prayers is not ineffective, but it is incomplete. tudents, teachers, and coaches of Mar- The surviving students of Parkland have de- jory Stoneman Douglas High School in cided to no longer accept this violence as normal. Parkland, Fla., are the latest victims of a They are demanding change and have declared that mass shooting by a gunman with a semi- “thoughts and prayers are not enough.” Sojourners automatic firearm. Seventeen lives were agrees. As believers, we recognize that a strategy Slost, and yet again our nation mourns. to combat gun violence that includes thoughts and Since 2013, there have been nearly 300 school prayers is not ineffective, but it is incomplete. shootings in America — an average of about one There is an urgent public debate that needs to per week. Gun violence in schools is not the only take place around gun violence. Now is the time for reason for alarm. Ongoing incidents of gun violence congregations to actively support the leadership of outside of schools are also a crisis. Often, children students who are working to change the narrative who are exposed to gun violence on a day-to-day and political realities of this country. basis are overlooked. With this in mind, we propose a “Thoughts, We cannot ignore the threat gun violence poses Prayers, Action Campaign.” to young people and communities everywhere. Calling congregations to prayer and action On Sunday, March 18, 2018, before the n Churches to prayerfully consider sharing the attention of the country turns to Washington, D.C., three actions that are the centerpiece of the stu- #ThoughtsPrayersAction as students gather for the March 24 “March for Our dents’ demands.
    [Show full text]
  • Days & Hours for Social Distance Walking Visitor Guidelines Lynden
    53 22 D 4 21 8 48 9 38 NORTH 41 3 C 33 34 E 32 46 47 24 45 26 28 14 52 37 12 25 11 19 7 36 20 10 35 2 PARKING 40 39 50 6 5 51 15 17 27 1 44 13 30 18 G 29 16 43 23 PARKING F GARDEN 31 EXIT ENTRANCE BROWN DEER ROAD Lynden Sculpture Garden Visitor Guidelines NO CLIMBING ON SCULPTURE 2145 W. Brown Deer Rd. Do not climb on the sculptures. They are works of art, just as you would find in an indoor art Milwaukee, WI 53217 museum, and are subject to the same issues of deterioration – and they endure the vagaries of our harsh climate. Many of the works have already spent nearly half a century outdoors 414-446-8794 and are quite fragile. Please be gentle with our art. LAKES & POND There is no wading, swimming or fishing allowed in the lakes or pond. Please do not throw For virtual tours of the anything into these bodies of water. VEGETATION & WILDLIFE sculpture collection and Please do not pick our flowers, fruits, or grasses, or climb the trees. We want every visitor to be able to enjoy the same views you have experienced. Protect our wildlife: do not feed, temporary installations, chase or touch fish, ducks, geese, frogs, turtles or other wildlife. visit: lynden.tours WEATHER All visitors must come inside immediately if there is any sign of lightning. PETS Pets are not allowed in the Lynden Sculpture Garden except on designated dog days.
    [Show full text]